Canelo / Arts Council England

Canelo / Arts Council England | 

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Literature in the 21st Century: Understanding Models of Support for Literary Fiction

4. Barriers to entry 

It is clear that writing literary fiction isn’t an easy or lucrative profession 

for any but a lucky few. But are there some groups for whom it is even 

harder? One area of particular concern is the representation of black, 

asian and minority ethnic (BAME) writers and publishers. There is a 

sense that over the past 15 years or so the position of BAME writers 

within British writing and publishing, never robust, has in fact gone 

backwards. In London the proportion of BAME residents in the total 

population is at 40% (the proportion for the UK as a whole is around 

15%), but comparatively few people work in the London book industry, 

and when they do tend not to occupy the top decision-making roles. 

Low pay, insider networks, unpaid internships, a perception that the 

industry caters to ‘white’ tastes and that it is not looking for writers 

and staff from a BAME background, all contribute. This perception was 

backed up by our survey, where 73% of respondents felt that there was 

an issue with the representation of BAME voices in literary fiction.